Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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IMPACT-ABSORBING ANCHORING ASSEMBLY FOR PROTECTIVE
BARRIER
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[001-1 Protective barriers are used to protect structures from collisions, to
control access
to certain areas and/or to direct a flow of traffic. Examples of different
types of
protective barriers include bollards, corner guards, and post-mounted
railings.
Depending on the particular application, a protective barrier such as a
bollard may be
surface-mounted or mounted via core-drilling. Core-drilled bollards are
typically used in
high impact applications such as protecting a loading dock from heavy
vehicles, and are
generally permanently mounted to the ground by embedding a portion of the
bollard in a
concrete-filled hole. Installation of a core-drilled bollard is significantly
more expensive
than for a surface-mounted bollard, and takes significantly more time. On the
other hand,
surface-mounted bollards are typically used in less demanding applications
such as an in-
store environment in which a bollard is used to protect product display
cabinets. Surface-
mounted bollards include a steel plate and a bollard supported on the plate so
as to extend
perpendicularly relative to the surface. The plate rests on the surface of the
floor and one
or more anchors, such as bolts, are used to fasten the plate, and therefore
the bollard, to
the floor. For this type of bollard, there is no significant disruption to the
ground or floor,
other than the bolt holes, which are in some instances pre-drilled. However,
although
intended for relatively low-impact environments, surface-mounted bollards are
frequently
required to accommodate relatively large loads without being permanently
damaged.
SUMMARY
[002] In some aspects, a bollard assembly is provided that includes a bollard
including
an open end, and a load transfer member disposed in the bollard and including
a base and
a sidewall extending from the base, the base including an opening. The
assembly also
includes a shock absorber disposed within the load transfer member, the shock
absorber
including a through hole; and a fastener that extends through the base opening
and shock
absorber through hole. The fastener includes an end protruding from the
bollard open
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end, and the fastener end is configured to secure the load transfer member to
a support
surface. The load transfer member adjoins the bollard so as to be disposed
between the
shock absorber and the bollard. The load transfer member is configured so that
when an
impact force is applied to the bollard, the force is transferred from the
bollard to the
shock absorber via the load transfer member.
[003] In other aspects, a protective device assembly is provided that includes
a load
receiving member, a load transfer member configured to be secured to the load
receiving
member and including a base and a sidewall extending from the base, the base
including
an opening. The assembly also includes a shock absorber disposed within the
load
transfer member, the shock absorber including a through hole; and a fastener
that extends
through the base opening and shock absorber through hole. The fastener
includes a
fastener end protruding beyond an end of the load receiving member, and the
fastener end
is configured to secure the load receiving member to a support surface. The
load transfer
member adjoins the load receiving member so as to be disposed between the
shock
absorber and the load receiving member. The load transfer member is configured
so that
when an impact force is applied to the load receiving member, the force is
transferred
from the load receiving member to the shock absorber via the load transfer
member.
[004.1 In still other aspects, an impact-absorbing anchoring assembly for
surface-
mounting a protective device to a ground surface is provided. The anchoring
assembly
includes a load transfer member configured to be secured to the protective
device and
including a base and a sidewall extending from the base, the base including an
opening.
The anchoring assembly includes a shock absorber disposed within the load
transfer
member, the shock absorber including a through hole. In addition, the
anchoring
assembly includes a fastener that extends through the base opening and shock
absorber
through hole, the fastener including an end protruding from the protective
device, the
fastener end configured to secure the assembly to a support surface. The load
transfer
member adjoins the protective device so as to be disposed between the shock
absorber
and a surface of the protective device. In addition, the load transfer member
is
configured so that when an impact force is applied to the protective device,
the force is
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transferred from the protective device to the shock absorber via the load
transfer member.
[005] The bollard assembly, protective device assembly and anchoring assembly
may
include one or more of the following features: The load transfer member base
is aligned
with an end of the protective device, for example the bollard open end. The
load transfer
member base is aligned with an end of the protective device, for example the
bollard
open end, and the load transfer member sidewall faces an interior surface of
the bollard.
The fastener comprises an anchor, the anchor including a head and a threaded
shank
extending from the head, the shank having an outer diameter that is smaller
than that of
the head. The assembly further includes an annular load ring disposed on the
shank so as
to be disposed between a side of the shock absorber and the head. The shock
absorber is
disposed between the load transfer member base and the load ring. The assembly
further
includes an annular load ring disposed within the load transfer member on a
side of the
shock absorber that is opposed to the load transfer member base. The
protective device,
for example the bollard, is secured to the load transfer member. The bollard
further
includes a bollard sidewall, and the bollard sidewall is secured to the load
transfer
member sidewall. The bollard sidewall is secured to the load transfer member
sidewall at
a location that is axially spaced apart from the shock absorber. The axial
length of the
shock absorber is less than the axial length of the load transfer member. The
shock
absorber is disposed within the load transfer member so as to abut the load
transfer
member base. The shock absorber is an annular member formed of an elastic
material.
The shock absorber is an annular member having an outer diameter that
corresponds to an
inner diameter of the load transfer member. The protective device, for example
the
bollard, and load transfer member are rigid. The outer diameter of the load
transfer
member base corresponds to the inner diameter of the bollard. The outer
diameter of the
load transfer member sidewall at a location that is axially spaced from the
load transfer
member base is less than that of the inner diameter of the bollard whereby a
gap exists
between the load transfer member sidewall and the bollard at that location.
The load
transfer member is a cup. The bollard is secured to the load transfer member,
and the
bollard and load transfer member together are movable relative to the
fastener.
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[006] Advantageously, the protective device includes an impact absorbing
mechanism
that transfers an impact load applied to the protective device to a shock
absorber so that
the applied load is substantially isolated from the device anchor. Instead,
due to the
resiliency of the shock absorber, the protective device and a load transfer
member are
permitted to deflect relative to the anchor upon application of the impact
load, and then
return to their original orientation. Also due to the resiliency of the shock
absorber, the
protective device may be prevented from being damaged by the impact load,
contributing
to the ability of the device and load transfer member to return to their pre-
impact
orientation.
[0071 Modes for carrying out the present invention are explained below by
reference to
an embodiment of the present invention shown in the attached drawings. The
above-
mentioned object, other objects, characteristics and advantages of the present
invention
will become apparent from the detailed description of the embodiment of the
invention
presented below in conjunction with the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[00811 Fig. 1 A is a side view of a bollard assembly.
[0091 Fig. 1 B is a sectional view of the bollard assembly of Fig. I A as seen
along line
A-A and installed on a ground surface.
[010 Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the bollard assembly.
[011-1 Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the bollard assembly base under
no impact
load.
[012] Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the bollard assembly of Fig. 3
under an
impact load.
[013] Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a railing system as seen along line B-B of
Fig. 6 and
installed on a ground surface.
[014] Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the railing system of Fig. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[015] Referring now to Figs. 1-3, a surface-mounted protective device 10 is
secured to a
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ground surface 4 using an impact-absorbing anchoring assembly 15. In the
illustrated
embodiment, the protective device 10 is a bollard 20 that is secured to a
ground surface 4
using the anchoring assembly 15. The anchoring assembly 15 includes a load
transfer
member 50 configured to be received in an interior space of the bollard 20.
The load
transfer member 50 is secured to a surface 4 of the ground 2 using an anchor
120, and the
load transfer member 50 and anchor 120 together secure the bollard 20 to the
ground in a
desired orientation, as described further below. For example, in the
illustrated
embodiment, the bollard 20 is oriented so that its longitudinal axis 38
extends in a
direction generally normal to the ground surface 4. The anchoring assembly 15
also
includes a resilient shock absorber 80 disposed in the load transfer member 50
so as to
reside between the load transfer member 50 and the anchor 120. These and other
features
will be discussed in detail below.
[0161 Referring in particular to Fig. 2, the bollard 20 is a cylindrical tube
that has a first
end 22, a second end 24 opposed to the first end, and a sidewall 26 extending
between the
opposed ends 22, 24. The first end 22 is open, and in use is generally resting
on the
ground surface 4. The second end 24 is closed, and in the illustrated
embodiment, the
second end 24 is convex to promote shedding of moisture and to prevent the
accumulation of debris on the protective device 10.
[0171 The bollard sidewall 26 includes a pair of diametrically-opposed through
holes
34, 36 located adjacent to the bollard first end 22. More specifically, the
bollard sidewall
through holes 34, 36 are spaced apart from the bollard first end 22 a distance
that is less
than the axial length L1 of the load transfer member 50. The through holes 34,
36 are
threaded and dimensioned to receive a fastener 140, such as a bolt, that is
used to secure
the bollard 20 to the load transfer member 50, as discussed further below.
[018] The bollard sidewall 26 is thin relative to an outer diameter of the
bollard 20. For
example, in some embodiments, the bollard sidewall thickness may be 0.134
inches, and
the outer diameter of the bollard 20 may be in a range of 1 inch to 5 inches.
In addition,
in some embodiments, the bollard has a length from first end 22 to second end
24 of 32
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inches. It is understood that these dimensions are provided to give a general
scale of the
bollard 20, and that the provided dimensions are not limiting.
[019] The bollard 20 may be formed of a tough, rigid material such as
stainless steel. It
will be understood that the bollard 20 is not limited to stainless steel, and
may be formed
of other rigid materials, including but not limited to, aluminum, mild steel,
nylon, high
density polyethylene, low density polyethylene, medium density polyethylene or
polypropylene. Although not illustrated, the bollard outer surface may include
surface
features that enhance aesthetics and/or improve bollard visibility.
[020] Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, the load transfer member 50 has
a first end
52, an open second end 54 opposed to the first end 52, and a sidewall 56
extending
between the opposed ends 52, 54. The first end 52 is closed by a load transfer
member
base 58 having a slightly larger outer diameter dl than the outer diameter d2
of the load
transfer member sidewall 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the load transfer
member 50
is in the form of a cylindrical cup.
[0211 The outer surface 64 of the load transfer member 50 further includes a
protruding
circumferentially-extending bead 60 located closely adjacent to the load
transfer member
second end 54. The bead 60 may be formed integrally with the member sidewall
56, or
may be formed as a separate annular ring that is fixed to the member sidewall
56, for
example by welding. The outer diameter d3 of the bead 60 corresponds to the
outer
diameter dl of the load transfer member base 58. When the load transfer member
50 is
assembled within the bollard 20, the base 58 is aligned with the bollard first
end 22, and
the load transfer member second end resides within the bollard 20. In use, the
base 58,
like the bollard first end 52, is generally resting on the ground surface 4.
The load
transfer member base outer diameter dl and the bead outer diameter d3 are
dimensioned
to generally correspond to, or be slightly less than, the inner diameter d4 of
the bollard
20. As a result, the load transfer member 50 is nested in a fitted manner
within the open
end 22 of the bollard 20.
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[022] The load transfer member base 58 includes a central opening 72 that is
dimensioned to receive a shank 124 of the anchor 120 therethrough. More
specifically,
the diameter d5 of the load transfer member central opening 74 is greater than
the outer
diameter d6 of the anchor shank 124 to permit some slight movement of the load
transfer
member 50 relative to the anchor 120.
[023] The load transfer member sidewall 56 includes a pair of diametrically-
opposed
through holes 66, 68 located adjacent to the load transfer member second end
54.
Specifically, the load transfer member sidewall through holes 66, 68 are
disposed
between the load transfer member second end 54 and a midpoint P located midway
between the load transfer member first and second ends 52, 54. More
specifically, the
load transfer member sidewall through holes 66, 68 are disposed between the
bead 60 and
the midpoint P. Each of the load transfer member sidewall through holes are
dimensioned to receive the fastener 140 therethrough. When the load transfer
member 50
is assembled within the bollard 20 with the base 58 aligned with the bollard
first end 22,
the load transfer member sidewall through holes 66, 68 can be aligned with the
bollard
sidewall through holes 34, 36. The fastener 140 is passed through the first
bollard
through-hole 34, through corresponding through holes 66, 68 formed in a
sidewall 56 of
the load transfer member 50, and engages threads formed in the second, opposed
bollard
through hole 68, whereby the bollard 20 is secured to the load transfer member
50.
[02411 The shock absorber 80 is an annular member formed of an elastomer such
as
rubber, poly urethane, or ethylene propylene diene Monomer (M-class) synthetic
rubber
(EPDM), and includes an axially-extending central opening 88. When the shock
absorber
80 is assembled within in the load transfer member 50, a first end face 82 of
the shock
absorber 80 rests on an inner surface of the load transfer member base 58. The
shock
absorber 80 has an outer diameter d7 that corresponds to an inner diameter d8
of the load
transfer member 50, so that the shock absorber outer surface 86 confronts and
abuts the
load transfer member inner surface 62. As a result, the load transfer member
50 and
shock absorber 80 are co-axially arranged, and the shock absorber central
opening 88 is
aligned with the load transfer member central opening 72. In addition, the
shock
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absorber 80 has an axial length L2 that is less than half the load transfer
member axial
length LI. In the illustrated embodiment, the shock absorber axial length L2
is about
one-third of the load transfer member axial length Ll.
[025] The shock absorber 80 is retained within the load transfer member 50 by
securing
it with the anchor 120, which includes a head 122, and the threaded shank 124
which has
an outer diameter d6 that is smaller than that of the head 122. The shock
absorber central
opening 88 has a diameter that corresponds to, and/or is slightly larger than,
the shank
outer diameter M.
[026] In addition, an annular load ring 100 is disposed on the anchor shank
124 between
the shank head 122 and a second end face 84 of the shock absorber 80. The load
ring 100
serves to distribute forces seen at the interface between the shock absorber
second end
face 84 and the bolt head 122. The load ring 100 is formed of a tough, rigid
material such
as stainless steel, and has a thickness that is sufficient to prevent
deformation upon
impact loading of the protective device 10.
[027] In use, the shock absorber 80 and load ring 100 are assembled on the
anchor
shank 124, and the shank 120 extends within the load transfer member 50 and
through the
load transfer member central opening 72 so that so that the anchor head 122,
load ring
100 and shock absorber 80 reside within the load transfer member 50, and so
that the load
ring 100 is disposed between the shock absorber 80 and the anchor head 122.
The
portion of the shank 124 that extends out of the load transfer member 50
includes anchor
threads 126 that engage the ground 2, whereby the load transfer member 50 is
secured to
the ground surface 4. In addition, the anchor 120 is tightened, for example by
rotation of
the anchor 120 relative to the ground 2, to an extent that a slight axial
compressive load is
applied to the shock absorber 80 via the anchor head 122 and load ring 100,
whereby the
load transfer member 50 is firmly secured to the ground surface 4. The bollard
20 is then
assembled on the outer surface 64 of the load transfer member 50 so that the
first end 22
of the bollard 20 rests on the ground surface 4 and lies flush with the first
end 52 of the
load transfer member 50. The bollard 20 is secured to the load transfer member
50 using
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the fastener 140 as discussed above.
[028] Referring to Fig. 4, upon application of an impact load to the sidewall
26 of the
bollard 20, the impact load is transferred from the bollard sidewall 26 to the
load transfer
member sidewall 56 due to the closely arranged configuration of these
components. In
addition, since the shock absorber 80 is disposed within the load transfer
member 50
between the load transfer member inner surface 62 and the anchor shank 124,
the impact
load is transferred from the load transfer member 50 to the shock absorber 80.
The
resilience of the shock absorber 80 permits it to absorb the impact load so
that the anchor
120 receives a greatly-reduced load, and possibly no load, due to the impact
force. For
relatively large impact loads, it is possible for the bollard sidewall and
load transfer
member to be deflected by the impact load away from a normal orientation, such
that the
longitudinal axis 38 of the bollard 20 rotates to an angle 0 relative to the
normal. The
deflection is absorbed by the shock absorber 80 so that the anchor 120 remains
un-
deformed and the ground 2 remains undamaged. Moreover, due to the resilience
of the
shock absorber 80, the bollard 20 and load transfer member 50 are returned to
a normal,
upright orientation upon withdrawal of the impact load.
[029] Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, an alternative embodiment surface-mounted
protective
device 310 is secured to a ground surface 4 using the impact-absorbing
anchoring
assembly 15. In this embodiment, the protective device 310 is a railing
system. The
railing support post 300 is shown, which is configured to support a
horizontally-
extending rail (not shown). The support post 300 includes a generally U-shaped
upper
portion 312 that is configured to receive and support the rail, and a tubular
lower portion
320 that extends from the upper portion 310 and includes an open end 322. The
railing
support post 300 is secured to a ground surface 4 using the anchoring assembly
15.
[030] As in the previous embodiment, the anchoring assembly 15 includes the
load
transfer member 50 disposed in an interior space of the support post's tubular
lower
portion 320. The shock absorber 80 and load ring 100 are assembled on the
anchor shank
124, and the shank 120 extends within the load transfer member 50 and through
the load
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transfer member central opening 72 so that the anchor head 122, load ring 100
and shock
absorber 80 reside within the load transfer member 50, and so that the load
ring 100 is
disposed between the shock absorber 80 and the anchor head 122. The portion of
the
shank 124 that extends out of the load transfer member 50 includes anchor
threads 126
that engage the ground 2, whereby the load transfer member 50 is secured to
the ground
surface 4. In addition, the anchor 120 is tightened, for example by rotation
of the anchor
120 relative to the ground 2, to an extent that a slight axial compressive
load is applied to
the shock absorber 80 via the anchor head 122 and load ring 100, whereby the
load
transfer member 50 is firmly secured to the ground surface 4. The railing
support post
300 is assembled on the outer surface 64 of the load transfer member 50 so
that the open
end 322 of the support post 300 rests on the ground surface 4 and lies flush
with the first
end 52 of the load transfer member 50. The tubular lower portion 320 includes
through
holes 366, 368, and the tubular lower portion 320 is secured to the load
transfer member
50 using the fastener 140 in the same manner as the bollard 20.
[031] The railing support post 300, when mounted on the impact-absorbing
anchoring
assembly 15, functions identically to the bollard assembly of Figs. 1-4 under
impact
loading. That is, upon application of an impact load to the support post 300
either
directly or via the rail, the impact load is transferred from the support post
300 to the load
transfer member sidewall 56 due to the closely arranged configuration of these
components. In addition, since the shock absorber 80 is disposed within the
load transfer
member 50 between the load transfer member inner surface 62 and the anchor
shank 124,
the impact load is transferred from the load transfer member 50 to the shock
absorber 80.
The resilience of the shock absorber 80 permits it to absorb the impact load
so that the
anchor 120 receives a greatly-reduced load, and possibly no load, due to the
impact force.
Deflections of the support post 300 from an upright orientation are absorbed
by the shock
absorber 80 so that the anchor 120 remains un-deformed and the ground 2
remains
undamaged. Moreover, due to the resilience of the shock absorber 80, the
support post
300 and load transfer member 50 are returned to a normal, upright orientation
upon
withdrawal of the impact load.
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[032] Although use of a shock-absorbing anchoring assembly 15 has been
described
above with application to a bollard 20 and a railing support post 300, it is
understood that
this feature could be adapted to other surface-mounted protective devices such
as corner
guards.
[033] In addition, in the illustrated embodiments, the load transfer member 50
is in the
form of a cylindrical cup, but it will be understood that the member is not
limited to this
configuration. The shape of the sidewall 56 corresponds to the shape of the
protective
device with which it is being used so that an impact load can be efficiently
transferred to
the load transfer member 50. As such, the load transfer member 50 can be non-
cylindrical and/or non-tubular if required by the particular application.
[034] A selected illustrative embodiment of the invention is described above
in some
detail. It should be understood that only structures considered necessary for
clarifying
the present invention have been described herein. Other conventional
structures, and
those of ancillary and auxiliary components of the system, are assumed to be
known and
understood by those skilled in the art. Moreover, while a working example of
the present
invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to
the working
example described above, but various design alterations may be carried out
without
departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims.
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